Mineral wax composition



Patented Oct. 12, 1943 2,331,469 i MINERAL wax COMPOSITION Lyle A. Hamilton and Robert C. Moran,;Weno'nah, and Albert R. Cattell, Pitman, N. J., assignors to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application March 9. 1940,

Serial No. 323,123 I 1 Claim.

Refined paraffln waxes in general require quite meticulous refining treatment to produce a wax which is stable against the formation of color bodies resulting in a yellowing of the wax over long periods of exposure of the wax to normal atmospheric and light conditions. This hecomes particularly acute and is a controlling factor in the salability of the .wax when the wax is utilized as a covering for, as a coating for, or otherwise in connection with food products. Since the formation of adverse color in the wax detracts materially from the appearance of the product with which it is associated, the color stability of the wax becomes a matter of very considerable importance over and beyond the value of the wax itself.

Numerous attempts have been made to increase the color stability of waxes by highly rigorous methods of rei'lning, as, for example, treatment with sulfuric acids under extreme conditions.

This invention is directed to the stabilization of wax against the formation of deleterious color after long exposure to normal atmospheric and light conditions under prolonged periods of time and has for its object the provision of a wax so stabilized by the addition thereto of certain ingredients not heretofore used for such purposes.

This invention is basedv upon the discovery that refined paraflin wax may be stabilized against the formation of deleterious color under the conditions indicated by the addition thereto of small amounts of alkyl amino compounds.

For the purpose of this invention there may be used various alkyl amines, such as triamylamine, tributylamine, diamylamine, dlbutylamine, and monobutylamine.

To exemplify the color stabilizing effect of these various compositions, there are cited be- .ow results obtained in two tests. In each of these tests blocks of 126 F. A. S. T. M. melting point scale wax having the dimensions 6 in. x 1 in. x in. with and without added inhibitors were exposed upon the roof of a building where they were called upon to withstand full sunlight exposure. In the first series of tests set forth in able I. the duration of the exposure was 28 d8 5. In the second series of tests, set forth in 3:18 II. the duration of the exposure was 53 Table I c" x 1 x blocks or r. A. s. 'r. M. melting point scale wax, with and without added inhibitors-exposed on roof for 28 days Samples Material added Colic gg g Percent Blank Nono....... Light yellow. Samples lighter in color than blank 'irmmylamine.-. 1.0 No change. after 28 days are Dialnylannno. 1.0 posure on roof.

Table II 6" x 1%," x A" blocks of 120 F. A. S. T. M. melting point sonic wax, with and without added inhibitors-cxposed on roof for 53 days On all of the above tests the samples after exposure were compared both with the blank and with similar blanks which had been protected from color deterioration. In all cases the color of the exposed sample was commercially improved over that of the uninhibited blank. In those tests wherein the color after test is noted No change," this means that the color of the inhibited 'test block after the indicated exposure was exactly the same as the color of a fresh and *block. Since no quantitative standcommon use for expressing the color atamust necessarily be presented in form.

It is evident from the above tests that the inhibitors with which this invention is concerned are capable of effecting important changes in i the liability of a commercial paraflln wax to the formation of deleterious color.

The amounts in which these various inhibitive agents may be used will vary principally with the capability oi the inhibitive agent and with the type of exposure to which it is believed the product may be subjected, in general, however, the range of concentrations to be used will be from 0.01 to 5.0 weight percent with the preferred concentration being at about 1% by weight of the additive agent;

We claim:

A white refined paraflin wax product inhibited against the formation therein of deleterious 5 obutylamhie.

color upon prolonged exposure to light by the addition thereto 01 a small. amount of a material selected from group consisting of triamylamine, tributylamine, diamylamine, dibutylamine, mon- LYLE A. HAIVHLTON. ROBERT C. MORAN. ALBERT R. CAT'I'ELL. 

